Participants – local and nationwide – will be walking “to end hunger one step at a time” at the 2023 Crop Hunger Walk.
The Waynesboro walk, sponsored by Waynesboro Fellowship of Churches, will be held Sunday, Oct. 15. Check-in and registration starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Robert E. Stum Soccer Complex at 11500 Country Club Road, Waynesboro. The walk, with a 2- and 5-mile option, will start at 2 p.m.
“Some needs seem overwhelming and you think, what difference will this make and can anything really change, but doing anything is better than doing nothing,” noted the Rev. Caroline Vickery, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Waynesboro and coordinator of the local walk. “This will certainly impact lives for the better and in the face of everything going wrong in the world, this is an opportunity to do something good that will change lives.”
The community-based walk fundraising events were created to support the global mission of Church World Service, a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. After a CROP Hunger Walk ends, 25 percent of the funds raised is returned to the host community to support local hunger fighting efforts.
The Crop Project began in 1947 when farmers were asked to donate food and seed crops to hungry neighbors in post-World War II Europe and Asia. The first CROP Hunger Walks took place in Bismarck, North Dakota (1969), and York, Pennsylvania (1970).
In addition to Presbyterian, other local churches that will participate include Christ United Methodist, Faith United Methodist, Trinity United Church of Christ, Church of the Apostles and Waynesboro Church of the Brethren.
“It used to be that individuals asked for sponsors and they still may choose to do that,” according to Vickery. “There are options now. Some churches do collections and some host fundraisers and then present all the money raised as their donation.”
Waynesboro usually has 70 to 100 participants, Vickery added. The Fellowship will determine after the walk what organizations will receive the funds. “In the past, we have donated to New Hope Shelter and Waynesboro Community and Human Services. It depends on where the need is,” she added.
“Not everyone has such easy access to what we take for granted,” said Vickery as she encouraged others to participate. “Help us to continue to fight against challenges that leave people hungry.”
For more information, to register, or donate, visit:
